I will be using the VSS 17 spinning reel seat and I am trying to find the best shim for this seat. Any recommendations of what works good and part number to order is appreciated.

I've seen the Fuji Arbors that look like they are an inch long. I've also seen the Batson Shims that look like they run the entire length of the seat. I thought the Batson 17 (17 mm OD) would be best and trim it to the needed length to fit the Fuji' reel seat.

Thanks for your advice



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/2021 09:27AM by Leonard Bourdage.

Any of the size 17 polyurethane foam arbors will work. I will usually cut it into 2 or 3 pieces and epoxy a section in each end of reel seat. When the epoxy has cured I will ream to dry fit the blank. I also ream the VSS handle to dry fit the blank. I then epoxy the handle to the reel seat before installing onto the blank. This gives better control of any epoxy slop out and insures a good fit of handle to reel seat. After curing, I epoxy the handle/seat as one unit to the blank. If necessary, any little more reaming of the handle/seat unit might be needed. Takes a little more time, but for me it’s worth it.

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I also mate the handle to the VSS seat prior to installing on the blank. The main reason for this is that if your ream is out of center even barely you can struggle to get the handle to seat perfectly into the reel seat. I have also found that the handles aren't always perfect and require a little work sometimes to make the mating area perfect. I also found with some offerings like the NFC soft touch you need to sometimes put a band or tie down the handle to the seat when it is drying to get it to adhere seamlessly to the seat.